The morning light was faint.
Wang Heihou got up under the sharp gaze and angry scolding of his father, his rear end sticking out as he washed his face.
Suddenly, he heard a sound from not far away.
"Oh! It's rare, Lu Family's kid caught a fish too!"
"Yes, Mrs. Liu!"
"Amazing, amazing!"
"Tonight, Lu Family can eat some meat!"
······
Wang Heihou immediately stopped washing his face and ran outside bare-chested, where he saw a petite figure striding toward the village entrance.
In the hand was a fish three or four fingers wide.
It seemed to have been caught not long ago, for the fish hadn't died yet and occasionally wagged its tail.
Wang Heihou rubbed his eyes and walked a few steps forward, using a shadow overhead to block the morning light, finally seeing the other person's face clearly.
"Er Dan! How did you catch a fish?"
He shouted loudly.
Lu Chang'sheng paused his steps, walked over to Black Monkey, and smiled, "I was lucky, happened upon a small school of fish near shore!"
Wang Heihou became envious immediately.
He was good at slacking off, knowing that under these circumstances it was indeed easy to catch fish, so he didn't think much of it.
Turning around, he went to gather his friends for slacking off.
Lu Chang'sheng chuckled, avoided the crowded path, and walked home.
Mrs. Lu was in the kitchen making breakfast.
Heitu swayed as she picked up firewood from the ground and handed it to Mrs. Lu.
Suddenly, the gate creaked open.
"Heitu!"
"Brother!"
Heitu didn't turn her head, laboriously picking up a small piece of firewood from the ground.
Lu Chang'sheng hurried over, feeling both sorry and amused, then held the fish in front of Heitu.
Plop!
"Oh! Something fell!" Heitu jumped in fright, causing the piece of wood she held to drop.
She looked down to find the culprit and suddenly froze.
"Wow! A fish, oh~"
"Fish dropped from the sky!"
Excited, Heitu forgot about the wood and pounced on the fish, pressing it under her body.
The fish seemed to feel an unbearable weight and struggled fiercely, flicking wood chips onto Heitu's face.
However, Heitu didn't care, clutching the fish tightly and awkwardly getting up.
"Oh, brother! A fish fell from the sky!"
She looked at Lu Chang'sheng behind her with eyes squinted like crescent moons.
"Really?"
"Yes! Look, it's right here in my arms! Should we ask Mother to make fish soup for us tonight?"
"Alright!"
Heitu happily hugged the fish and ran into the kitchen.
Soon, laughter echoed from the kitchen.
Lu Chang'sheng turned around and glanced at Mr. Lu, who was preparing farming tools, noting his relaxed expression.
"Thank you for your hard work, take a good rest at home later! We'll manage the farmwork!"
Lu Chang'sheng didn't refuse.
His health was truly poor, if a virtual panel could reflect physical condition, it probably wouldn't even measure up to two-thirds the attributes of a normal peer.
"If only I could read books!"
Lu Chang'sheng sighed.
"Alas, for now it's best to nurture the body as much as possible, not saying it'll recover a healthy base, but at least prevent any further deterioration!"
······
After breakfast, Lu Chang'sheng left the house.
Reaching the village entrance, he saw several people standing there, seemingly waiting for something.
Their attire was neat and looked quite refined, certainly not the coarse cloth ordinary folks wore.
"Hey, it's Er Dan!"
"Mr. Zhao!"
A middle-aged man turned and glanced at Lu Chang'sheng.
Greeting him, he continued to sit on the nearby stone post.
"Turns out, they're Zhao Family!"
Lu Chang'sheng thought to himself.
In Zhao Family Village, Zhao Family was indeed prominent.
Among them were families whose conditions were definitely exemplary, countless girls wanted to marry into Zhao Family.
Previously, someone introduced a Zhao Family member for little sister Heitu to become a child bride.
However, not all Zhao Family conditions were good, after careful consideration, Mr. and Mrs. Lu didn't agree.
Heitu was understanding, they weren't willing to let go.
"Mr. Zhao, who are you all waiting for?"
"Haha, waiting for an important guest!" Zhao Deshui, normally serious, managed a slight smile.
Just as he finished speaking, a carriage suddenly drove in from outside the village.
Though it was merely an ordinary redwood carriage, it still imposed a remarkable pressure on Zhao Family Village residents.
Counting just the carriage without the horse, it was worth several taels of silver, a sum that would take a common family half a lifetime to earn.
The Zhao Family people approached.
Lu Chang'sheng glanced at some onlookers nearby and asked, "Uncle, who is in the carriage?"
"Zhao Deshui's own sister, heard she married a scholar in Black Mountain Prefecture as a concubine, extraordinary indeed, the air of a scholar is impressive, reading is truly beneficial!"
"If only I could send my kids to read books, maybe one day they could become a scholar themselves!"
······
The streets were filled with envious chatter.
The carriage, high in stature, drove into the village and went straight to Zhao Deshui's home before stopping.
A woman stepped down from the carriage.
Though called a woman, she wasn't very old, Lu Chang'sheng estimated her to be in her early twenties, fairly pleasing in appearance.
At least unlike some of the village's fierce women, whose very presence carried a biting gossip.
It was clear Zhao Family's conduct was different from other village households.
By evening.
The village buzzed with news.
Zhao Deshui's sister left behind considerable money and goods for the family, and announced that Zhao Family's youths could go to Black Mountain Prefecture to learn to read.
The news instantly stirred the entire village.
Before nightfall, people were already bringing food to Zhao Family.
"Er Dan! Heitu!"
Mr. Lu wasn't idle either.
Rarely, he took out cherished tobacco, smoked a few puffs, then put it back decisively, before retrieving a small cloth bundle from the bedside, containing some silver coins.
Once in the yard, he called for Lu Chang'sheng and Lu Heitu.
"Coming, Dad!"
Lu Chang'sheng pulled Heitu out.
At the gate, Mr. Lu thought a moment and decided to call eldest brother Lu Haozi too.
"You come along, be smart when you get there!"
Mr. Lu glanced at Lu Haozi.
"What if... I don't go?"
"No way! Who knows what the scholar might think, maybe they fancy someone like you?"
Mr. Lu declared firmly.
Being the absolute authority in the family, Lu Haozi couldn't refuse and had to follow Mr. Lu to Zhao Deshui's place.
Even though Lu Chang'sheng felt the chances might be slim, he knew it was an opportunity, so he didn't say much.
However, once they reached Zhao Deshui's doorstep, it was clear the endeavor was unlikely to succeed.
A crowd gathered at Zhao Deshui's door, all villagers.
Evidently, everyone shared the same intention as Mr. Lu, seeking the backing of that impressive scholar.